Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) associations with diseases in ethnic groups of the Arabian Peninsula

• Published in: Immunogenetics (New York) Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 131 - 152
• Main Authors: Al Naqbi, Halima, Mawart, Aurélie, Alshamsi, Jawaher, Al Safar, Habiba, Tay, Guan K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Allergology; Antigens; Arthritis; Autoimmune diseases; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Chronic conditions; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Gene families; Gene Function; Haplotypes; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; Human Genetics; Immunology; Insulin; Leukocytes; Major histocompatibility complex; Minority & ethnic groups; Multiple sclerosis; Myasthenia gravis; Neuromuscular junctions; Populations; Psoriasis; Psoriasis vulgaris; Public domain; Review; Rheumatoid arthritis; Skin diseases; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Arabian Peninsula; MHC; Disease association; HLA; Arab
• ISSN: 0093-7711; 1432-1211; 1432-1211
• DOI: 10.1007/s00251-021-01204-x

Since the discovery of human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), the function of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene families in a wide range of diseases have been the subject of research for decades. In particular, the associations of autoimmune disorders to allelic variants and candidate genes encoding the MHC are well documented. However, despite decades of research, the knowledge of MHC associations with human disease susceptibility have been predominantly studied in European origin, with limited understanding in different populations and ethnic groups. This is particularly evident in countries and ethnic populations of the Arabian Peninsula. Human MHC haplotypes, and its association with diseases, of the variable ethnic groups of this region are poorly studied. This review compiled published manuscripts that have reported a list of autoimmune diseases (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, systemic lupus erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis vulgaris, and multiple sclerosis) associated with MHC class I and class II in the populations of the Arabian Peninsula, specifically Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Data available was compared with other three ethnic groups, namely Caucasians, Asians, and Africans. The limited data available in the public domain on the association between MHC gene and autoimmune diseases highlight the challenges in the Middle Eastern region.